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Over a dozen new characters for second DS Bleach game.

SEGA announced today that the company will bring Bleach: Dark Souls for the Nintendo DS to North America this year. Dark Souls is the sequel to Bleach: The Blade of Fate, and will continue the multiplayer card-enhanced fighting game genre that The Blade of Fate started.

“With an exclusive storyline, an expanded playable character roster and spectacular new Bankai moves, Bleach: Dark Souls is set to build upon the critical success of Bleach: Blade of Fate,” said Don Mesa, director of marketing for SEGA of America, Inc.

Bleach: Dark Souls features an exclusive storyline that takes place between the first and second seasons. According to SEGA the characters will have individual storylines within the main story’s arc, and that the game will offer insight on Ichigo and his quest to save Rukia.

“The Bleach franchise continues to gain momentum with anime fans and gamers alike in North America and SEGA is there to create a robust and exciting gaming experience that stays true to its anime roots,” Mesa said.

The sequel increases the roster of playable character to 44, each with voice acting from the North American cast. Included in this roster is the first opportunity to play as Hollows, though SEGA did not mention if this means playing as generic Hollows or whether the Espada will be included in the game.

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The US version’s coming later this year.

 Disgaea DS was recently announced for the Japanese market, and today NIS America has revealed that the company will release the game stateside later this year.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is an original strategy role-playing game based upon the series released on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.

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Square announces European release date for incoming DS title.

Something strange is afoot: Square Enix has announced it will be bringing DS title The World Ends With You to Europe on April 18 – a full four days before the game’s US release.

It’s certainly a far cry from Square’s usual multi-month plod to Europe following release in the US and it’s all the more pleasing given The World Ends With You looks like a fairly exciting prospect on DS. Taking the developer’s RPG know-how and transposing it onto a modern-day setting, The World Ends With You has a distinct visual style, as well as one hell of a title.

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Nintendo releases evidence of imminent launch.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, the follow-up to Capcom’s highly-acclaimed court-bound Pheonix Wright series, is coming to Europe on May 9.

It’s the slightest of departures for the series, with Phoenix Wright stepping away from the limelight this time, making way for the new titular hero. That means the introduction of a new feature enabling players to perceive habits.

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A playable game demo is also available at 10,000 retail locations nationwide.

A unique real time strategy adventure is now available for Nintendo DS as Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced it has shipped Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest to retail outlets nationwide. In stores in time for Earth Day, Eco-Creatures promotes environmental awareness by tasking players to defend and rebuild the Mana Woods being threatened by over-industrialization.

“Public awareness of man’s effect on the natural environment and the life within it increases everyday, and Eco-Creatures is the perfect game to help impart environmental consciousness on the younger generation,” said Gui Karyo, Executive Vice President of Operations, Majesco. “While the overall message is significant, the gameplay also has a great deal of depth; real time strategy fans will enjoy the robust single player game, challenging multi-player modes and Land Make feature that lets friends trade creations online.”

Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest is a real-time strategy game that challenges players to protect the natural beauty of the Mana Woods and recover land polluted by industrial encroachment. Using the Touch Screen, gamers must command and nurture units of woodland creatures that possess unique abilities. Strategic management enables each of the three creature types to learn new skills that help the player complete 40 environmental missions. As players grow their woodland army, they must plant new trees to revitalize the woodlands and prevent deforestation.

Eco-Creatures also includes a creative Land Make feature that lets players build, play and trade their own game maps online. In addition to the lengthy single-player experience, the game also supports two-player play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and up to four players via Wireless Single Card download play or Multi-Card play.

Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest is rated E for Everyone, and is now available for a suggested retail price of $29.99. A playable game demo is currently being featured in approximately 10,000 Nintendo DS Download Stations at major retail locations nationwide. For additional information, please visit www.majescoentertainment.com.

About Majesco Entertainment Company

Majesco Entertainment Company is a provider of video games for the mass market. Building on 20 years of operating history, the company is focused on developing and publishing a wide range of casual and family oriented video games on leading console and portable systems. Product highlights include Nancy Drew, Cooking Mama and Zoo Hospital for Nintendo DS and Cooking Mama: Cook Off for Wii. The company’s shares are traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol: COOL. Majesco is headquartered in Edison, NJ and has an international office in Bristol, UK. More information about Majesco can be found online at www.majescoentertainment.com

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Interact with your favorite characters from popular Disney films and create friendships with Stitch, Dory, Simba, and Winnie the Pooh.

Disney Interactive Studios announced today that the virtual life simulation and adventure game Disney Friends for Nintendo DS has shipped to stores across North America. Disney Friends is a brand new adventure simulation game that allows children to interact with their favorite characters from popular Disney films including The Lion King, Winnie the Pooh, Lilo & Stitch, and Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo.

“Disney Friends gives players the chance to interact and befriend some of their favorite Disney characters and embark on new and exciting adventures,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president, global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “With Disney Friends, players can take their new friends wherever they go, explore their worlds and build lasting friendships along the way.”

Disney Friends is a simulation video game that teaches players the virtues of caring and nurturing friendships, all while creating a unique adventure in the worlds of their favorite Disney characters. The game features helpful tips and guidance from the feisty, fun-loving fairy, Tinker Bell. Players use the Nintendo DS touch screen and microphone to explore the worlds of Stitch, Dory, Simba, and Winnie the Pooh. In addition, players can use voice recognition features on the DS to influence their character’s actions and behaviors. Players can obtain unique tradable “pins” and earn valuable gold through a multitude of adventures in the various character worlds. The gold allows players to purchase new objects such as food, clothing and toys for their friends to keep them happy.

This unique video game allows players to interact with their friends in day or night exploration mode through the Nintendo DS’ real-time clock. It even allows players to celebrate special events and holidays in the virtual world. Fans can also capture special moments with the in-game camera and save them to browse for years to come.

Published by Disney Interactive Studios and developed by Amaze Entertainment, Disney Friends is rated “E” for Everyone. It is now available in stores nationwide for Nintendo DS for $29.99.

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New cobalt/black handheld colour will be joining the roster in the US this month.

In every region, you can buy the Nintendo DS in a head-scratching range of locally specific colours. In Japan, for example, there are eight colours: Crystal White, Ice Blue, Enamel Navy, Noble Pink, Jet Black, Metallic Rose, Crimson/Black, and Gloss Silver. In Europe, there are four: White, Smart Black, Coral Pink, and Silver.

Now, a seventh hue is coming to the US colour roster–a dark blue version, the Cobalt/Black model. It joins Polar White, Coral Pink, Onyx, and Crimson/Black, as well as the limited edition Gold and Metallic Rose designs.

The statement explains, “Now there’s a Nintendo DS colour to complement any outfit.”

Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, Cammie Dunaway, told GameSpot that more colours were likely to be released in the future, as the company is always looking at new options, but it has no specific plans as of yet.

The same goes for the Nintendo Wii, which is currently only available in all regions in one colour only–the original white. Those with long memories will recall that back when the console was codenamed the Revolution, there were several different colour models shown in promotional photos. However, again, Dunaway says Nintendo has no announcements to make about this at this time.

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Plus, more acquisitions for Square Enix

In an interview today with Bloomberg News, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada revealed that the latest entry in Japan’s biggest RPG franchise is nearing completion.

Said Wada about Dragon Quest IX, “It’s almost complete.” He also touched upon a possible area of fine tuning for developer Level-5 as he noted, “The balance between single player and multiplayer is important.”

Sadly, Wada wouldn’t give a specific time frame for the game, only stating that Square Enix does not want to rush it out.

Dragon Quest IX may just be Square Enix’s biggest title for the DS, but the company also appears to be interested in supporting Nintendo’s other hit platform, the Wii. “We’d like to increase appropriate software,” he said of the platform, noting the company’s plans for downloadable games to coincide with the start of the Wii Ware service this Spring.

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Publisher to bring Success Corp.’s fantasy strategy RPG to North American DSs on April 15.

In giving gamers a heads-up on upcoming Wii and Nintendo DS releases yesterday, the hardware maker let more than a few as-yet-undisclosed details slip out of the bag. One such reveal was Atlus’ Rondo of Swords, which the niche role-playing game-oriented publisher officially announced today as coming to the North American market for the Nintendo DS on April 15.

Rondo of Swords is a fantasy strategy RPG that was originally developed by Success Corp. and released in Japan as Ituwari no Rondo last year.

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Want to know what’s coming up for the first half of this year? Click and find out.

Nintendo of America today revealed the list of first and third-party games currently scheduled to ship in the first six months of 2008 for the Nintendo Wii console and Nintendo DS handheld system. More than 65 Wii games and more than 80 DS games are scheduled to ship in the first half of the year.

“The video game industry has never had so many new players, and they’ve never had so much fun,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “Our momentum is not limited to one
system or one game. We’re going broad and bold in 2008, with something for every member of the family.”

Noteworthy in this list is the inclusion of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness for the Nintendo DS, scheduled for a second quarter release. Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii have also been listed with a non-descript Q2 launch.

For the Nintendo DS:

Jan. 21: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin from Nintendo/Intelligent Systems
Jan. 21: Mazes of Fate DS from Graffiti Entertainment, LLC
Jan. 22: Mega Brain Boost from Majesco Entertainment
Jan. 24: Aquarium by DS from Bold Games
Jan. 24: Fantasy Aquarium by DS from Bold Games
Jan. 29: Pet Pals: Animal Doctor from Majesco Entertainment
January: N+ from Atari
January: Barnyard Blast from DSI Games
January: Command & Destroy from DSI Games
January: Miami Nights: Singles in the City from Ubisoft
January: Brain Challenge from Ubisoft

Feb. 4: Paws & Claws: Pet Resort from THQ
Feb. 5: Homie Rollerz from Destineer
Feb. 5: Nanostray 2 from Majesco Entertainment
Feb. 10 (street date): Professor Layton and the Curious Village from Nintendo/LEVEL-5
Feb. 12: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney from Capcom
Feb. 12: New Zealand Story Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
Feb. 12: Dream Pinball 3D from SouthPeak Games
Feb. 19: Spitfire Heroes: Tales of the RAF from Destineer
Feb. 19: Zoo Tycoon II from THQ
Feb. 25: Bratz: Super Babyz from THQ
Feb. 26: Bubble Bobble Double Shot from Ignition Entertainment
February: My Horse and Me from Atari
February: M&M’S Kart Racing from DSI Games
February: Garfield Gets Real from DSI Games
February: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
February: Insecticide from Gamecock Media Group
February: Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery from Ubisoft
February: Assassin’s Creed Altair’s Chronicles from Ubisoft
February: Petz Wild Animals: Tigerz from Ubisoft
February: Puppy Palace from Ubisoft
February: Real Soccer 2008 from Ubisoft

March 1: Project Exile from Graffiti Entertainment, LLC
March 3: Let’s Ride: Friends Forever from THQ
March 4: Diary Girl from Konami
March 4: Go Pets from Konami
March 4: Disney Friends from Disney Interactive Studios
March 4: Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest from Majesco Entertainment
March 8: Plushees from Destineer
March 8: River King: Mystic Valley from Natsume Inc.
March 8: Harvest Moon DS Cute from Natsume Inc.
March 11: FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Rings of Fate from Square Enix
March 11: Lost in Blue 3 from Konami
March 11: Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami
March 25: Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword from Tecmo, Inc.
March: Alone in the Dark from Atari
March: Drone Tactics from Atlus USA
March: Double Sequence from DSI Games
March: Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts
March: Myst from Empire Interactive
March: Naruto: Ninja Destiny from Tomy Corporation
March: Petz Bunnyz from Ubisoft
March: Imagine Figure Skater from Ubisoft
March: Commando from XS Games

April 15: Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys from Ignition Entertainment
April: Super Dodgeball Brawlers from Aksys Games
April: Rondo of Swords from Atlus USA
April: Quick Yoga Training from Ubisoft

May 5: Crosswords DS from Nintendo
May 6: Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Games
May 8: Organize It from Summitsoft Corporation
May 13: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Disney Interactive Studios
May: Winx Club: Mission Enchantix from Konami
May: Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles from Aksys Games
May: Garfield Fun Fest from DSI Games
May: 1 vs. 100 from DSI Games

June 8: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness from Natsume Inc.
June: Shining Stars from DSI Games
June: Catch of the Day from Electronic Arts
June: PipeMania from Empire Interactive
June: Wall-E from THQ

For the Nintendo Wii:

Jan. 7: Kidz Sports Ice Hockey from Destineer
Jan. 8: Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law from Capcom
Jan. 15: SAMURAI WARRIORS: KATANA from KOEI CORPORATION
Jan. 15: Furu Furu Park from Majesco Entertainment
Jan. 21: Endless Ocean from Nintendo
Jan. 22: One Piece: Unlimited Adventure from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Jan. 29: Bomberman Land from Hudson
January: No More Heroes from Ubisoft
January: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Hard Evidence from Ubisoft

Feb. 8: Kawasaki Jet Ski from Destineer
Feb. 11: Go Diego Go!: Safari Rescue from 2K Play
Feb. 12: WWII Aces from Destineer
Feb. 12: Dream Pinball 3D from SouthPeak Games
Feb. 18: MX vs. ATV Untamed from THQ
Feb. 25: Agatha Christie And Then There Were None from DreamCatcher Games
Feb. 26: Baroque from Atlus USA
Feb. 26: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors from Square Enix
Feb. 27: Kidz Sports Soccer from Destineer
Feb. 27: London Taxi: Rush Hour from Destineer
February: Garfield Gets Real from DSI Games
February: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
February: Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore from Konami
February: Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 from Ubisoft
February: BALLOON POP from UFO INTERACTIVE GAMES

And More…

A DS download service from the folks who brought Pokemon anime to the Game Boy Advance

Remember AM3 and its attempt at bringing downloadable anime to the Game Boy Advance? They’re back with their latest product, and this time it’s for the world-beating DS.

The company unveiled today DSvision, a download service that promises to bring comics, books, magazines, anime, movies, and television programs to the Japanese DS. The service downloads content to special microSD flash cards, which are then plugged into the DS via a special adapter cartridge.

Fully licensed by Nintendo, the service will begin in full force over in Japan in March 2008. In coopration with its majority share-holder Dai Nippon Printing, a major Japanese printing company, am3 will open up an online shop for downloading content. The firms will also be working with NTT for the distribution of movies and other high memory content.

Specific titles were not announced today, but am3 does have high hopes for the service. The firm expects to capture 10% of the DS’s current 20 million userbase. When the service starts, it expects to have 300 titles available for download, expanding to 10,000 by 2010. am3 hopes to reach 20,000,000 downloads per year by 2010, with total sales of one billion yen over the next three years.

Pricing for content was also not announced today, but the firm expects the priciest content to go for 1,000 yen, or close to $10 US.

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Details on the third Layton game, plus first word on the new comic.

The third Professor Layton game, announced earlier this year alongside the second one, at long last has a final name. The game will be fully titled Professor Layton and the Final Time Journey (Layton Kyouju to Saigo no Jikan Ryokou).

As suggested by the name, the puzzle-solving professor’s new exploits will revolve around time travel as Layton and his young partner Ruke travel forward to future London. The game will bring a sci-fi element to the series for the first time, and will also have a brand new set of puzzles.

This announcement came at a press conference held in Tokyo today by Professor Layton developer and publisher Level 5 to commemorate the 11/29 release of the second game in the series, Professor Latyon and the Devil’s Box. Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino took the stage to announce details on the third game along with a new branch of the Layton series.

Back in August, Level 5 announced that Layton would be adapted into a live action film. Today, Hino announced a comic based off the game. Set to be serialized by Coro Coro Comics starting 12/28, the comic features, according to Hino, a different personality for the Layton character.

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Nintendo preps more colors for latest handheld; limited-edition packages to come with Zelda: Phantom Hourglass or Nintendogs.

Late last month, a Sears sales ad leaked to the Internet and brought word of two new Nintendo DS packages in the works. One bundle paired a “metallic rose” system with the “Best Friends” edition of Nintendogs, whereas the other featured a gold DS packed in with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. In the ad, the rose-tinted system was emblazoned with a paw print, and the golden DS carried a logo of the iconic Zelda triforce.

Nintendo finally made the two offerings official today when it confirmed that the bundles will go on sale starting November 23 in the US. That’s the day after Thanksgiving, the unofficial start of the holiday-shopping season, commonly referred to as “Black Friday” for the throngs of bargain-crazy consumers that assault stores in search of deals.

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Nintendo crosses a major milestone.

If you’ve been adding up all the weekly sales figures, you were probably already aware of this, but sales tracker Media Create announced today that the DS has crossed the twenty million mark in Japanese sales.

The feat comes less than three years after the system’s 12/2/2004 release. Sales have been particular brisk since the release of the DS Lite, as prior to the redesign’s release in February 2006, the platform had just reached the six million mark.

While the system still hasn’t reached the PlayStation 2 in overall sells, it most certainly will if Nintendo meets its forecast of twenty-three million by March of 2008.

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A different Mario.

Last week, Mario topped the Japanese software sales chart from tracker Media Create through Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii. This week, Mario is once again at the top, only through a different game on a different platform.

The big winner for the week covering 11/5 to 11/11 was Mario Party DS. Nintendo’s party franchise continued its popularity in its first DS entry, with 235,000 units sold.

Coming in at second after one day of sales was Dynasty Warriors 6, which saw 188,000 units through its standard, limited and PS3 bundle editions. The game came out on the 11th as part of an unusual Sunday release to mark the PS3’s one year anniversary and the release of the 40 gigabyte model.

Last week’s number one, Super Mario Galaxy, dropped to three this week with 74,000 sales. Since its release last week, Galaxy has sold 325,000 units.

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The company will be bringing another brain trainer to the DS next year.

With all the brain strengtheners already on the market, DS owners’ brains should be bursting out of their skulls by now. But that’s not stopping SEGA, as the company has announced that it will be releasing a new entry in the genre next year: Brain Assist.

Brain Assist is based upon the Touch de Uno! design from Japanese arcades, a series of brain bending mini-games.

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Square Enix has shipped the Pokemonified DQ game.

Today Square Enix announced it has shipped Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker to retail. A Pokemonified version of the long-running role-playing series, Monsters includes over 200 creatures from the DQ universe awaiting your capture.

DQ: Monsters has already sold over 1.4 million units in Japan, where it was released at the end of last year. Gamers begin their adventure locked in a prison by their own father. Released specifically to compete in the Monster Scout Challenge, players start with a single beast and a powerful ring.

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Natsume puts a teaser tutorial online to teach the unique mechanics of Puzzle de Harvest Moon.

In just about a week from now, you’ll find Puzzle de Harvest Moon hitting shelves all over the United States. This Nintendo DS title is not your usual puzzle game, and Natsume wants to make sure you’re up to speed by teaching you how to play.

The game’s publisher, Natsume this week put an interactive Flash version of Puzzle de Harvest Moon online.

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Majesco reveals fresh info on Mama’s DS sequel.

Forget Gordon Ramsey: Mama’s returning to the kitchen in Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends on DS and it sounds like it’s going to be hotter than ever, thanks to all-new modes and recipes, plus 150 different food-based mini-games.

Cooking Mama 2 once again sees you teaming up with the titular chef as you peel, chop, slice and boil your way to culinary success in one of three modes - Cook With Mama, Let’s Cook (cooking without assistance) and a four-player cooking contest called, erm, Cooking Contest.

Publisher Majesco is promising improved graphics with “real-time effects that make you feel like you’re actually cooking. Adjust your timing and make decisions about your next course of action based on what you see on screen”.

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FUNimation claims deal for games based on popular anime was terminated after publisher violated license agreements.

It’s been a rough month for Atari, starting with the dismissal of five members of its board of directors, courtesy of parent company Infogrames. While the outgoing directors had been replaced within a week, a group of frustrated Atari shareholders accused Infogrames of intentionally undermining the company’s stock price in preparation to buy out the remaining shareholders.

The month is ending with even more corporate drama for the company, as an Atari Securities and Exchange Commission filing last week revealed that it is currently embroiled in a dispute over its Dragon Ball Z license.

According to Atari, the company has the rights to release games based on the series thanks to a pair of agreements with US anime firm FUNimation Productions. However, the publisher received a notice from FUNimation earlier this month accusing it of breaching those agreements.

As a result, FUNimation now claims that Atari’s license to make Dragon Ball Z games has been terminated. Atari doesn’t agree and has been distributing the games as usual. The two companies are now in talks to reach a temporary agreement that would buy them time to resolve their issues regarding the original license.

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